What is ERA? The IG Metall Entgeltrahmenabkommen explained
ERA stands for Entgeltrahmenabkommen – the IG Metall framework agreement that defines how employees in the metal and electrical industry are graded and paid. From 2003 onwards it gradually replaced the separate wage and salary agreements and today applies across all 15 Tarifgebiete (regions).
Why ERA was introduced
Before ERA, manual workers (“Arbeiter”) were paid under a wage framework and commercial/technical staff (“Angestellte”) under a salary framework – using different yardsticks for comparable work. ERA removes that split: a job is assessed regardless of status and placed into a shared Entgeltgruppe (pay grade, EG). Equal requirements therefore mean, in principle, equal base pay.
How the ERA pay is built up
The monthly ERA pay is made up of several building blocks:
- the Grundentgelt (base salary) of the pay grade (and, where applicable, the Stufe/step),
- the performance-based Leistungszulage,
- plus the annual special payments such as T-Zug, holiday and Christmas pay.
The anchor of the whole structure is the Eckentgelt – the base salary of a full-time employee after one year of service. Every other pay grade is defined as a percentage below or above this reference point.
It varies by region
ERA is not a single nationwide agreement; it is negotiated per region. That is why both the number of pay grades (Baden-Württemberg 1–17, Bayern 1–12, North Rhine-Westphalia 1–14) and the euro amounts differ. The chart below shows how strongly the Eckentgelt in the pace-setting region Baden-Württemberg has risen over the years:
Show as table
| Year | valid from | Eckentgelt (reference salary) | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 1 April 2021 | €3,241 | — |
| 2023 | 1 June 2023 | €3,409 | +5.2 % |
| 2024 | 1 May 2024 | €3,522 | +3.3 % |
| 2025 | 1 April 2025 | €3,592 | +2 % |
| 2026 | 1 April 2026 | €3,704 | +3.1 % |
You will find the concrete figures for your region in the pay scales, and the salary calculator works out your personal annual salary including every supplement. When each table took effect is documented on the bargaining rounds page.